Brennick found guilty in fatal crash

Friday

Nov 30, 2012 at 1:27 PMNov 30, 2012 at 4:48 PM

Brennick killed Satu Harris, a mother of three

Brian Freskos and F.T. NortonFran.Norton@StarNewsOnline.com

A Brunswick County jury has found Daniel Brennick, 25, guilty of second-degree murder in the 2010 death of Satu Harris, a 38-year-old Oak Island mother of three.He was sentenced to 15 to nearly 19 years in prison.According to the prosecution, Brennick was drunk and speeding northbound May 7, 2010, on River Road near Southport when he crossed the center line and struck Harris' southbound vehicle head-on. Harris, 38, died at the scene.Brennick's truck overturned several times and he was ejected. He subsequently lost a leg as a result of the wreck.Brennick also was found guilty of felony death by motor vehicles and driving while impaired.In her opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Gina Essey said Brennick was convicted of reckless driving twice before and has a charge of driving after consuming alcohol under the age of 21 on his record. But even though "he knew better, he still got behind the wheel of his truck," she said.The deadly crash in May happened after Daniel Brennick drank three Bud Lights and three shots of 87-proof Goldschlager schnapps at the Oak Island Golf Club bar, named Duffer's Pub. Four employees from Duffer's Pub testified to seeing Brennick in the hour before the crash chatting with a friend at the bar. Bartender Jennifer Szot said when she served Brennick the beers and shots he seemed sober.Then, "all of a sudden it just took a turn," Szot said. "He totally, in a matter of minutes, was extremely intoxicated."Aftward, Brennick got behind the wheel of his pickup. A paramedic who was in ambulance testified that she saw Brennick speeding and swerving down the road. The paramedic said she called dispatch but the truck passed her so quickly she was unable to grab a license plate. A short time later, a call came out that there had been a wreck. Brennick crashed head-on into Harris' Nissan sedan, trapping her in a pile of mangled wreckage. Brennick lay facedown on the pavement, clinging to life. Prosecutors said Brennick's blood-alcohol content was 0.24, three times the legal limit, at the time of the collision.